Celebrate good times

Well, the guy from Arizona finally came home, which meant we could finally celebrate Lindsey's first birthday properly - with all the pomp and circumstance she deserves.

Like her brother, two years prior, Lindsey barely got any sleep the day of the party. But unlike her brother, two years prior, this little party animal was ready to rock and roll all night long. She loved the attention. And though she wasn't too interested in actually opening gifts, she certainly loved playing with them once they were unwrapped and ready to go.

Rye was getting a kick out of the toys too...

We decided to use inspiration from her room decor to help dictate the "theme" of the party - so a garden theme it was. Complete with butterflies, ladybugs and flowers. Not too much pink, but just enough girly flair to fit LP's personality.

Oh - and speaking of cake...ahem. This "lady" went to town on her own little version. I don't think she could figure out what was more fun - shoving it in her mouth or smearing it on her chest.

Regardless, it was a blast. We were blessed to have so many friends and family join us to celebrate our little girl.

Says the guy in Arizona

Nate has been traveling for three weeks. And while that thought leaves me to believe that I'd spend some space on this post lamenting about how hard it's been, how the kids have been driving me crazy and how much I give credit to single parents,there's really no need. Certainly the latter of those statements is true. But, in all honesty, it's been a great three weeks.

Now - I've had help. Uncle Mike made sure to check-in regularly and took the kids up to my parents house for a weekend to give me a break. Our neighbor Kim (best. neighbor.ever.) stepped in a few times to save the day (and my sanity) and when it seemed like everything was falling apart - Lindsey got bronchiolitis on top of her double ear infection and I had a double eye infection that left me nearly blind - my mom came to the rescue and made sure we all survived.


But beyond the outside help, the three of us banded together to make the most of it. We made new traditions, like story time in Lindsey's room, where we all cuddle on the rocker, under Ryan's Eagles blanket, and read stories together. We make bath time last a little longer (and maybe let it get a little wetter). We play pretend in the basement kitchen. We have tickle time on our bed. We have a dance party on Ryan's bed. We color. We laugh. A lot.

Another thing that made it easier? We had Skype this time around. Lindsey got so attached to seeing daddy on Skype, she would start frantically saying "Da da da da" and start blowing kisses any time I had a communication device (cell phone, house phone, laptop) in my hand. He joined us for breakfast sometimes and dinner other times.It's amazing how much easier it is when you can just see the person you're missing.

It's also amazing how you can miss someone so much, yet they still have the ability to annoy you - from thousands of miles away. "Says the guy in Arizona" became the go-to phrase since Nate left. It started with the first of four or five (I've lost count) snow storms we've had since he left. "It doesn't look that bad on the radar," says the guy in Arizona. "Just go out and shovel now before the kids wake up and you should be fine," says the guy in Arizona. "You'll have a day off with the kids," says the guy in Arizona.

It's safe to say that, while it's been a good three weeks and we all survived without (major) incident, we'll be happy when the guy from Arizona comes back home (tomorrow!).
 
In the meantime, the last of the four or five snow storms we had was the mother of them all, dumping about a foot of snow (and rain and sleet) on us in a day. And, though there is only one of me and two of them, I managed to keep them still long enough to get one good shot in the snow.

 

 Proof that we got nearly a foot of snow - Ryan's snow meter :)

Lindsey Paige Turns One Today!

I'll be honest. I've been procrastinating about putting a post on here about a year in review. Just the thought of trying to condense this past year into one post seems daunting, at best. Besides - who wants to spend too much time in retrospect, when we can look forward to all the awesome things 2011 has to bring. Like, for instance, our little girl turning one.

Can you believe it? I'm so filled with pride and joy for Miss Lindsey Paige. Our Lulu. Our LP. She's a girly girl at heart, but filled with the energy and strength needed to keep up with her big brother. Who she worships. And who loves her from head to toe. Want to see Ryan move? Let him hear his sister cry. He springs into action, without any prompting from us, and finds her the toy he knows will calm her down. It's not always the same toy, but I'm betting it's sibling intuition that lets him know which one she'll need.

Ever wonder what love sounds like? Spend some time listening to Lindsey giggle at her big brother, who has mastered the art of physical comedy. He'll throw himself on the floor 20 times over just to hear his sister giggle and squeal til she's red in the face and nearly out of breath.

She's picking up more words as we round the corner and look year one right in the face. Mama and Dada still top the list, but coming in a close second - Nana, short for the beloved ba-nana. She seems to use it in reference to food in general, but certainly knows what bananas are - and would eat them all day if we let her.

She's a speed walker. It took her a little longer to gain interest and skill in the walking department - and it was slow going at first. She looked like Frankenstein, waddling through the house with her hands straight out in front of her for balance. Now? Look out. She'll run you down if you're in her way. She is a girl on a mission - foreshadowing to the future perhaps?

She's independent and opinionated. Honestly, we have no clue where she got such traits. Nevertheless, she constantly lets us know what she wants and (more loudly) what she doesn't want. Lately, she doesn't want milk. We get sneaky and slip it to her on occasion, but for the most part - she chugs water at every meal. And that's fine by us.

She's funny. Damn, she's funny. Both she and Ryan have comedic timing and a sense of humor that most people never, ever seem to aquire. How our cheeks don't hurt at the end of each day is beyond me. Maybe they're so used to the workout, we just have well-toned cheeks.

She's perfect. Not literally, none of us are, but perfect for our family. She completes the puzzle and makes us whole. Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

And now, without further delay, the moment I've been waiting for! I give you, Lindsey Paige, month by month.